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4-H Camp "Down on the Farm"
| Name | Beverley Connelly | | Situation | Beaufort County has lost many of its family owned farms to housing developments in the past ten years. There are only a dozen family owned farms left in the county. It has been the fastest growing county in population and has been spreading by leaps and bounds with new business, houses and highways. Some children do not know where their food supply comes from anymore. They think that it is grown in the grocery store. What would happen if all the grocery stores would go away? But the real
question we have to ask is what would happen if all the farms would go away and where have all of the farmers gone? | | Response | Through collaboration with Farm Bureau, Soil and Water Conservation District, Clemson Extension EFNEP, 4-H and DNR, we created a week long camp to teach 75 youth about many aspects of farming. The children began by getting a picture taken with a horse and goat as they entered the
barnyard. They were introduced to different types of hay and straw.
The youth received a hay ride with a real tractor pulling a wagon. Tom Turkey greeted the youth as they entered the building for five day-long learning sessions about dairy and beef cows, chickens and poultry, pigs, cotton, corn, rice, peanuts, soy beans, indigo, tomatoes and watermelons, wild animals, soil and planting, trees and forests, and health eating. The history and future of farming in Beaufort County was also targeted and shared with the children. Every day the children made a craft to take home as a reminder of the fun-filled week down on the farm. The final day was filled with first-hand farm work. They had to slop the hogs, milk the cow, feed the chickens and gather the eggs, plant some seeds and shell corn the old fashion way. The most fun was competing in the watermelon seed spitting contest. | | Impact | After the participation and fun of the camp, 99% of the youth that participated indicated they had learned something new about farming. 75% indicated they have never been on a real farm or ever had a chance to do anything on a farm. 80% lived in a town or within the city. 20% lived in the county, but only 4% lived on a farm or plantation. All of the children plan to visit a farm one day and thank a real farmer for growing their food. Without farms and farming, we would not have good, healthy food to eat in the future. We obtained a grant from the White-Reinhart Fund which purchased the curriculum materials for the camp which is now
"camp in a box" and is available to be used for AG in the Classroom
all over the state. The "camp in a box" is located at the Farm
Bureau State Office. |
Last update6/2/2008
This website is maintained by Amy West.
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